Archive for April, 2014

The Ohio State athletic department self-reported 24 minor violations in the latter half of 2013, about double the amount reported by any of five other Big Ten schools.
The Lantern requested all self-reported NCAA violations occurring from June to December 2013 for every Big Ten school except Northwestern, March 16. As of Monday, records were received from Michigan State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois and Minnesota.
Northwestern is a private university and is not required to provide public records.
Representatives from Michigan, Indiana and Iowa acknowledged and were still processing The Lantern’s request as of Monday. Penn State representatives did not respond to multiple emails requesting the records. Nebraska denied the release… Read more

Five-star hotels and private jets – some Ohio State senior administrators are traveling in style on the university’s dime.
Some travel is necessary. Everything, including universities, is moving toward a globalized model. However, some think this move could represent a shift in universities’ core priorities, especially in a time where budgets are tight and tuition is rising.
Some officials’ trips show a discrepancy in their intended purposes. One trip taken by two of OSU’s senior administrators was supposed to be a compliance review of the university’s Global Gateway Offices, but an itinerary indicates that a majority of the 10-day venture might have been spent building relations and seeking potential donors… Read more

Of 141 harassment and discrimination reports filed with Ohio State from 2011-13, roughly 62 percent involved a sexual harassment complaint. But that might not represent the extent of the instances, as one local lawyer said he’s sure there are more cases that went unreported.
In 2013, there were 52 reports of alleged workplace harassment and discrimination filed with OSU Office of Human Resources, according to university data.
The yearly number of reports, as compared to previous years, has increased: there were 47 reports in 2012 and 42 reports in 2011. This data represents complaints filed by any of OSU’s 43,630 employees and is not representative of Wexner Medical Center employees,… Read more

As landlords face complaints of dead rodents in walls and sewage backups at the properties they rent out in the off-campus area, some said they’re working to improve on the service they provide.
For Michael Groeniger, property manager at G.A.S. Properties, the secret lies in a more interactive approach.
“We’re more hands on. We’re out there a lot,” Groeniger said. “I think our system’s set up pretty solid. When we get a complaint, we’re there that day.”
From 2008 through May 2013, G.A.S. Properties had 18 city housing code violations, including a nonworking furnace and dead rodents inside of a wall, according to a City of Columbus Code Enforcement log.… Read more

After an attempted armed robbery led to the issuing of a public safety notice last week, at least one Ohio State student said she felt scared by the incident.
University Police issued a public safety notice Friday morning about the incident, which according to a police report, allegedly occurred on West 18th Avenue between McPherson and Smith laboratories at about 9:40 p.m.
A female OSU student was approached by three men, according to the notice, one of whom pointed a gun at her while another held his hand over her mouth and patted her down.
According to the police report, the suspects attempted to steal the student’s cell phone.
All… Read more

When E. Gordon Gee accepted the West Virginia University presidency, he gave up his rights to an Ohio State office, secretary and $710,000 annually in salary and grant money as his employment with OSU ends July 1. But Gee didn’t give up everything.
Former OSU President Gee will be provided lifetime executive health insurance benefits at OSU’s expense after he is no longer employed anywhere else, will be permitted to receive a payout of “any accrued, but unused vacation leave,” will continue to have a split dollar insurance policy and will retain his president emeritus title, according to a letter senior vice president, senior adviser to the president and general… Read more

Some Ohio State students are set to be recognized before heading off to work on service projects around the world.
On Monday, approximately 40 Peace Corps nominees are set to celebrate the completion of the first stage of their international journey at a reception held at Hitchcock Hall from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Jack Campbell, a returned Peace Corps volunteer and OSU Peace Corps campus recruiter, said.
“(The reception) is celebrating a couple of different things, but all things Peace Corps,” said Brittany Baker, a seventh-year in environment and natural resources.
The Peace Corps is a U.S. Government service organization that sets Americans up with work sites and projects in… Read more

Many current staff members at The Lantern will bid farewell to their duties as Spring Semester concludes, and they are currently preparing to usher not only a new editor-in-chief, but a large roster of new faces that will take their seats at the editors’ desks next fall.
A majority of the current staff, which consists of 17 Lantern positions and five BuckeyeTV positions, will be handing over their responsibilities to new hires or current editors who will hold new positions.
Employment with The Lantern Media Group is typically an academic year agreement, with new staff members beginning with the Fall Semester.
Dan Caterinicchia, director of student media, is not only… Read more

It was Sunday morning as I sat in my pajamas on the couch accompanied only by my notes, laptop and emptied mug of coffee, my second of the day. The mug, shaped like the head of a Hawaiian totem poll, stared back at me with a mocking grimace stretched across its brown ceramic face. I was alone, stressed, and maddeningly staring down my antagonistic coffee cup.
It was Easter morning, and it starkly contrasted every other Easter morning I’ve experienced for the past 21 years.
Where were my sisters, barging into my room asking what I was going to wear to the Sunday morning service? Where was my father, with… Read more